Proper Setup for Core i9 14900KF with ASUS Prime B760-Plus

[CapVideo]

I am experiencing multiple program crashes (crashes to desktop) with my new build PC (mid-January) and this combination of processor and MoBo.  The crashes are occurring not only with a major game/simulation (MSFS 2020) but a number of other programs such as Thunderbird E-mail, Mozilla Firefox, Adobe Acrobat, etc.  The system ran well for about 3 months, then the crashes started up.

According to my PC builder, the BIOS was set to default at installation.  Numerous tests were run for possible issues:

1) Ran all Windows updates - everything is up-to-date.
2) Ran malware scans and antivirus scans - clean
3) Ran Dism series - clean
4) Ran sfc /scannow - no integrity violations.
5) Ran memtest86 - no issues with RAM
5) Did a complete uninstall/reinstall of MSFS 2020
6) Did a complete Windows 10 In-place Upgrade! Everything went well but everything is still failing as before.

After seeing a number of recent articles on this processor being overclocked by MoBo manufacturers default settings and causing game crashes, I downloaded and flashed the BIOS with the latest ASUS version to attempt to rectify this issue (ver. 1656).  This version includes the new Intel Baseline Profile option which is supposed to rectify this situation.  This did not work - when I activate the option nothing happens and no changes are made.

I am a multi-decade experienced user as far as Windows OS and hardware, though I have never overclocked any of my systems nor have I worked with modern processors and BIOS settings. I really need some help here as this PC is basically useless for me, and I fear that the Intel processor may also have been damaged by ASUS "default" settings. Using NZXTCam for statistics, it currently shows the CPU Default Clock Speed as 3200 MHz - the Current Clock Speed is varying up to 6000 MHz.

[mdawe]

So I was in a very similar situation to you (almost exactly). The only additional item was I paid a local shop to do a bench test on the processor and confirmed the stability problems carried over. I then RMA'd the chip but mine was exposed to the situation for a year before stability issues occurred. 

[CapVideo]

It's become obvious that I'm not the only one dealing with this.  I should note that I was finally able to make the 'Intel Baseline Profile' option operational.  I had to first reset the BIOS to 'Optimize to Defaults', THEN set the Baseline option.

It appeared that only a couple of changes occurred (apparently voltages?) but the end result was the same - all of the same apps are crashing or malfunctioning in the same manner, but that's probably due to the instability of the CPU.

My builder has just notified me that the CPU replacement has arrived, so fingers crossed.

[CapVideo]

OK - my new CPU is in place (exchanged by Intel under warranty) and I'm finally operating normally again (after 2 weeks of terror).  MSFS and all of the programs that were crashing have been stable.

I am continuing to run the 'Intel Baseline Profile' in the BIOS (v.1656), as it's the only way that I can over-ride the "optimized defaults" without a lot of tweaking.  I'm going to hold off on running XMP for now - if the system is still stable a month from now I'll transition to Win11.  If that runs well for a couple of months I'll reset with XMP.